


He Didn't Really Care

by lady_oneder



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Billy Hargrove & Eleven | Jane Hopper Friendship, Billy Hargrove Needs a Hug, Billy Hargrove Redemption, F/M, Hurt Billy Hargrove, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Not Season/Series 03 Compliant, Post-Season/Series 02, Sick Billy, Sick Character, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 13:48:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19747003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_oneder/pseuds/lady_oneder
Summary: Billy realized he's screwed up the last eighteen years of his life, the last year especially. That's probably why he doesn't tell anyone when he starts to get sick. They wouldn't really care, would they? What starts off as a small cough evolved into something more serious, just like his relationships.





	He Didn't Really Care

**Author's Note:**

> No season 3 spoilers, but I decided to write this as if season 3 wasn't painful enough. I hadn't meant for it to progress the way it do or end up as long, so hopefully you enjoy it nonetheless.

Billy felt like shit when he finally came to. Whatever Max tranquilized him with was slowly wearing off, making it hard for him to get up properly. He was still at the Byers’ place, but it was noticeably devoid of any kids. Billy groaned and stood, nearly falling over again when he tried to take a step. He nearly forgot why he was here in the first place until he saw the pieces of a shattered plate on the ground. _Shit, Max was gone_.

Billy stumbled out to his car. He didn’t think he could see the road clearly enough to drive, but he at least wanted to get out of that hell hole of a house. His head was starting to pound and scrunching his eyes shut wasn’t helping his vision problems. He didn’t sit around for long, electing to start looking for Max again.

He had fears about being on the road when he felt like he might pass out again at any second, but he had even greater fears about showing up at home empty handed. He thought he drove around the entirety of Hawkins, Indiana until he came across a group of kids with a bright redhead among them. She had the nerve to be with the police chief of all people. Everyone looked towards his car when he rolled up, his headlights shining on all of them. He could see Max’s frustrated face too, but it held a newfound confidence that he had never seen in her before. It was Hopper who came up to him first, making him roll down the window.

“Are you alright to be driving?” Hopper asked gruffly, looking around the vehicle.

“You wanna tell me what my little sister was doing out here in the middle of the night?” Billy drawled. Hopper gave him a forced smile.

“She and her friends thought it would be fun to see what was going on with the rotten pumpkins when they saw a rabid animal.” Hopper was so full of bullshit it made Billy internally gag. “Glad you’re here to make sure she gets home safely.” Billy just hummed. Hopper backed away from the car, and Billy could see him rolling his eyes when he thought he wasn’t looking. Hopper talked to Max, pointing back to Billy a few times. It was clear that Max was arguing with him, but it wasn’t long before she marched over and slammed the car door shut. There was clearly something wrong going on since Hopper didn’t interrogate Billy further. There was an unspoken agreement between them to keep things silent as Billy pulled away.

Max’s mom hugged her as soon as she walked through the door. Max protested, constantly trying to pull away from her grip. Billy tried to slip past to his room, ready to fall back asleep having completely forgotten about his date. He barely got into the hallway before his father’s hand was on his shoulder.

“What took you so long?” His voice was low and soft, but the threat was ever present.

“I had to drive everywhere. She wasn’t at any of her friends’ houses,” Billy muttered back, too scared to turn around. He didn’t really have a choice since his father was pushing his shoulder, forcing him to turn his face towards him.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you,” Neil growled. “Where was she?”

“With the chief of police,” Billy sputtered out, hoping the mention of the police would indicate that she was safe. “Her friend is his daughter.” He didn’t actually know about that last part when he told that lie. Neil clearly didn’t believe him either because he shoved Billy into his room. Billy could feel his heart start to pound faster, and he wondered if that was from the fear or from the drugs Max pumped into him.

“She should have never been out of your sight,” Neil growled, his finger pressing on Billy’s chest.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Billy muttered, trying to keep his voice level. Neil barked out a soft laugh.

“Yeah, you’re sorry. You’re going to be sorry. I don’t want you going anywhere unless it’s to school and back or to pick up or drop off Max. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, sir,” Billy answered. He was frozen as Neil continued to stare him down. He stayed in the frozen position until his father was out of the room with the door closed. Billy felt himself melt like jelly, flopping onto the bed with his clothes still on. He felt tears behind his closed eyes, but he just blamed it on the drugs.

* * *

Max didn’t talk to him at all. She didn’t even spare him a glance unless it was to glare at him for something he said to get her attention. She was completely, utterly emotionless around him, and he didn’t know how to feel about it. On one hand, it was a bit refreshing to not see her so stiff around him all the time since she had come into her newfound confidence. On the other hand, Max literally looked at him like he was shit on the bottom of her shoe. She had a good reason to, but it didn’t stop Billy from feeling shitty.

He was angry at her. He still didn’t feel right after that night, and he blamed it on whatever she injected him with. What the hell did the Byers do having that kind of stuff around their house? When he thought too hard about it, he remembered the feeling of Max pushing the needle into his neck, and he had to blink the memory away from his mind.

He did as Neil said, never really leaving the house anymore unless it was to take Max to the arcade. She spited him for it too, for being the only driver available since her mother wouldn’t let her skateboard there. It pissed Billy off because he wouldn’t do it if he wasn’t being forced to. Sometimes the rest of her friends would be there waiting for her, and they’d all glare at him from where they were waiting, Lucas Sinclair especially. It bothered him that her entire friend group was made of boys, but she wouldn’t answer him when he asked her about it. He just hoped Neil wouldn’t find out, because he’d have his head for not protecting Max better.

Going back to school was weird since no one else knew what happened that night. It was just a group of kids and a few selective individuals. That didn’t really include Billy since no one told him the truth about what they were all out doing that night. Maybe school was weird because Billy had changed and not the other people. Either way, everyone noticed Steve’s fresh look, wondering what had happened.

It didn’t surprise Billy that Steve glared at him almost every chance he got. Any other guy would pretend it never happened before ambushing him behind one of the school buildings, but not Steve. Steve openly made his hatred clear, which also made his intentions clear. He hated Billy, but he wasn’t going to do anything about it. Billy didn’t know why, but that made him upset. He just wished Steve would take the violent route and give him what he deserved.

After a few days, Billy didn’t miss driving around anyway. Taking Max to the arcade had been a chore before, but it became a relaxing five minutes since it was the only time he got to drive. Eventually, Billy didn’t want to do anything but lay around in his room anyway. He didn’t have anywhere to go or anywhere to talk to. He shouldn’t let it bother him that it was a group of tweens that hated him and was out for his head, but it only added to the growing list of people who were tired of Billy Hargrove.

That’s probably why he didn’t go to the doctor when he started coughing up blood. He thought he had a cold, which he might have since he was sniffling so damn much, but the blood in the sink told a different story. He looked at his hand as well, studying the unmistakable red liquid that covered his palm. He washed his hands before going back to bed for a nap. He had another hour before he needed to pick up Max.

It wasn’t just the group of kids, of course. It was Indiana. Indiana was nothing like California, and that was in all the bad ways. It lacked the people, the culture, and even the weather that Billy longed for. He didn’t have a best friend or forgotten lover waiting for him back in Cali, but that didn’t stop the state from feeling like home. Every day that he was reminded he was in Indiana he felt lost.

High school sucked, even if it was his last year. He got worse at basketball, which didn’t really matter since he wasn’t doing anything with it after high school anyway. He relished in the way the coach would yell at him but couldn’t do anything to make him better. The coach and his teammates alike glared at him when Billy would mess up, and he would just laugh at himself. These kids thought they would go somewhere with basketball, and Billy was holding them back. No one asked what happened when he stopped showing up to practice.

He told himself it was because he didn’t really like basketball that much, but what it really came down to was how tired he felt after each practice. He thought himself pretty well in shape, but the pool of sweat he found himself drenched in and the way his muscles seemed to scream louder than before told a different story. He tried taking an ice bath, but he bloodied the water with his cough.

He woke up late from his nap one day to pick up Max. He opened his eyes to the blaring red digits of his alarm clock and cursed to himself, getting vertigo when he stood up suddenly. He didn’t even bother to throw on a jacket before he was rushing out of his room. He came to an abrupt stop in the living room when he saw Max, Susan, and Neil sitting in the living room watching TV together. Max looked at him, giving him a slight glare like he purposefully left her, but Billy wasn’t paying attention to that. He was too focused on the blank stare his father was giving him.

“I’m sorry. I slept over,” Billy mumbled without being asked. No one in the room seemed too keen to hear his explanation, least of all his father. Billy disappeared into his room again, not surprised when his punishment came later that night.

His father delivered a powerful blow to his stomach, making Billy keel over and gag. He was left curled up on the floor, wondering if the blood he was spitting out came from his bloody nose or the cough that was tearing up his esophagus. He woke in time for school the next morning, but he couldn’t bring himself to get up. He heard the door open, probably his father looking in. If Billy had made it to his bed, Neil probably would’ve assumed he was well enough to drive Max to school, but Billy was in the same spot Neil left him in. Neil shut the door since Billy was too useless to drive her.

Billy drank a lot of water despite how much he craved a beer. His throat constantly burned, and he thought the water might have been holy based on how smoothly it went down. Susan was home and giving him a concerned look as he drank glass after glass of tap water, but she rarely talked to him anyway.

Neil saw that Billy was well enough to be up when he came back, so he enlisted him to go pick up Max, the only thing he did these days. She was waiting with her friends when he pulled up, and he was thankful she wasn’t late, not that he’d tell her that. Like usual, she didn’t talk to him. She was in his car and acted like he didn’t even exist. He drove slower than usual, which must have gotten her attention because she looked at him.

“What is wrong with you?” Max asked. He figured he looked sick, so he just straightened his posture.

“What are you talking about?” He responded lowly.

“I mean why do you have to ruin everything?” Max asked bitterly. Billy glanced at her to see her signature angry face, like everything that was wrong with the world was him. She flared her nostrils and widened her eyes when she was upset. “Seriously, what is wrong with you?”

“You were the one who stabbed me with a syringe. What’s wrong with you?” Billy bit back.

“Because you were going to kill my friend!”

“Why were you with a bunch of guys all alone, huh?” Billy barked, coughing a bit.

“Trying to make friends.”

“That’s not how you get friends.” Max scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“You’re disgusting. You ruin everything,” Max said. They fell silent for a bit. Billy was shocked, partially because of what Max was saying the first time she spoke to him in a couple weeks. There was also the fact that her tone completely conveyed her true hatred for him. He hadn’t expected it to bother him so much.

“I’m sorry,” Billy muttered, mostly to himself. He kind of hoped Max hadn’t heard, but she looked at him sharply. She was probably going to say something snarky back, but Billy went into a coughing fit. He kept one hand tightly on the steering wheel while coughing violently into his other first. He heard Max calling out his name in a panic, probably because they were swerving a bit on the road. He eventually got control of himself, only clearing his throat a little. He wiped his hand on his black shirt without even looking at it. He hoped Max hadn’t seen whatever was on it, because she was staring at him.

“Are you drunk?” Billy frowned.

“Drunk? You think hungover people cough?” Billy asked, starting to laugh a bit at the end of his sentence. “It’s just a cold.”

“You almost made us crash,” Max said accusingly.

“Yeah, well. You can walk the rest of the way home if you want,” Billy suggested, knowing fully well he wouldn’t let her do that. “Skateboard to school if you can convince my dad.” Max just glared at him, eventually looking out the window. She slammed the car door when they reached the house, almost storming in until she reached the front door. She turned around as Billy was walking a lot slower behind her.

“I don’t forgive you, by the way,” Max said. Billy paused, taking in Max’s still stubborn demeanor. She walked into the house. Billy decided to stay outside to smoke for a bit.

* * *

Billy didn’t know why it took her so long, but, eventually, Nancy Wheeler came up to him to give him a piece of her mind. He really wasn’t in the mood for it either. His head pounded, and he was pretty sure his eyes were red from coughing so much. It was only getting colder outside, so Billy figured he’d just have to tough it out through his first ever cold-weather winter.

Nancy apparently had Sherlock complex, sniffing everything out for herself. She cornered him at his own locker, explaining how she wouldn’t sit around and let him pick on her friends anymore.

“Friends?” Billy repeated. “I thought he was your ex.”

“Steve is still my friend,” Nancy asserted. Billy snorted, making her eyes narrow.

“Poor dude,” Billy responded, slamming his locker shut. He started walking away, but she sped up to keep up with his pace.

“You don’t have any people on your side,” Nancy explained. Billy didn’t need her to tell him that. “We all know the chief. Steve’s parents are rich, and you wouldn’t win if you ever had to go to court.”

“Go to court?” Billy scoffed. “For what, kidnapping my sister?” Nancy’s nostrils flared.

“He didn’t kidnap anybody! She came with her friends.”

“Really? Because it looked to me like she disappeared all day only for me to find her alone with a bunch of boys at night, all unwilling to tell me what they’ve been up to,” Billy snarked, stopping to look Nancy in the eyes. “Keep your threats to yourself, Wheeler. You don’t scare me.”

Billy came out of fifth period to throw up. It wasn’t that he felt nauseous. It was just that he coughed to the point where he could feel his lunch coming back up his throat. Disgusting. He thought about going home, but he really didn’t want to have that conversation with his dad. He hid out behind the bleachers, smoking a few cigarettes. Some people noticed him, but he was never greeted anymore. He wondered if he preferred things that way.

* * *

Max was taking too long at the arcade. Billy thought he was being nice for a bit. He arrived ten minutes late, so he figured he’d give her a few minutes to get outside. A few minutes turned into twenty, and that was about two cigarettes too many for him to be waiting. He put it out angrily, storming inside the building of pubescent kids. He saw a head of red hair at one of the machines, unsurprisingly surrounded by the same group of boys he’d seen with her over and over again. Sinclair had his arm around her shoulders as she intensely played the game.

One of the kids seemed to sense him coming, because he turned around, his eyes widening. He nudged another kid, who called out Max’s name. Max was turned around to look at Billy before he made his way over.

“Let’s go,” Billy growled, irritated and ready to crawl into bed.

“I’m almost done,” Max said, rolling her eyes and turning back to the game. The boys seemed shocked at her courage, their eyes flickering back and forth between the stepsiblings.

“Now,” Billy barked out.

“Don’t talk to her like that,” Lucas barked out, stepping up to Billy though he was nowhere near his height. Billy was way too tired to deal with this.

“Now, Max,” Billy repeated. The other boys had taken to Lucas’ example, standing in a way that blocked Max, like he was going to hurt her.

“You can’t win, dude,” the dark-haired boy talked, crossing his arms. “Max is our friend now. We aren’t going to let you hurt her.”

“Yeah, well, I’m her ride, so move your little asses aside,” Billy demanded lowly. He reached out to grab Max, not expecting the push the curly-haired gave. Billy expected it before it came, the small coughing fit. Max stopped abruptly when she heard the familiar wet cough.

“Stop,” she told the boys. “I’m going.” They all stared at her with different levels of astonishment as she grabbed her backpack and skateboard, walking past Billy. Sinclair looked the most peeved about the situation, his eyes looking between Max and the game over screen. Billy walked slow after her. She was in the car and brooding by the time he made it behind the wheel. They were out of the parking lot when she finally spoke up, “What’s wrong with you?”

“What did I do this time?” Billy muttered.

“You’ve been coughing for weeks. That’s not healthy,” Max told him.

“It’s winter. People get sick when it’s cold outside.”

“Not like that,” Max mumbled. “You’re bleeding.”

“What?” Billy frowned, glancing at her. Her fingers slowly came up to touch her lip.

“Your lips. You’ve got blood.” Billy looked in the rearview mirror before rubbing it off.

“You have to go to the doctor.”

“I’m not going to the doctor,” Billy deadpanned. He knew Max was mad when she flared her nostrils.

“Why not? What if you get the rest of us sick?”

“You said it yourself. I’ve had this cough for weeks. You would’ve been sick by now.”

“Why are you so difficult? Just go to the doctor.”

“Doctors cost money, Max,” Billy said a bit louder. “I’m fine.” Max pouted, staring at the window until they got home. She didn’t slam his door like he expected her to. Billy went to bed almost immediately. He only woke up to eat a banana and drink some water. Max came into the kitchen not long after. Billy speculated if she was waiting for him to do that.

“I want you to apologize,” Max said. She stood awkwardly with her hands balled into loose fists at her side. Her eyes flickered between him and the floor, so she had been waiting for this conversation to happen.

“I already did,” Billy said, taking a large gulp of water.

“Not to me. To my friends,” she responded. “And to Steve.”

“You’re fucking joking, right?” Billy deadpanned. She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Then why did you bother to apologize to me?”

“Because you’re my stepsister,” Billy answered. “I don’t fucking know them.” Her gaze softened a bit, but her stiff stance didn’t change.

“You’re not going anywhere anytime soon,” Max pointed out. As much as he hated to admit it, it was true. Billy didn’t have the funds to go anywhere after he graduated, including college. “This is a small town. You can’t walk around with everyone hating you.”

“What does it matter? Why are you telling me this now? You didn’t even accept my apology.”

“Because it was shitty,” Max barked. Billy rolled his eyes and took another bite of the banana. “You’ve clearly changed. I don’t know why, but you don’t do the same things you used to.” Billy didn’t bother to tell her that was because he was too tired to do anything anymore. “Being mad at you all the time is exhausting.”

“What do I get out of this?” Billy brought up. “A bunch of dweebs who tolerate me because they’re your friends?”

“Why do I bother?” Max said to herself, turning on her heel to march back to her room. Billy didn’t stop her. She closed her door quietly, not one to slam it when their parents were home. Billy finished his banana still thinking about what she said.

* * *

Billy felt pretty bold when he walked up to Steve Harrington’s locker the next day. He looked completely normal, like he had nothing going on in his life. He jumped a bit when he closed his locker to see Billy standing there.

“I’m sorry for beating your face in,” Billy muttered. His face didn’t look very friendly, and his tone didn’t convey any sort of sincerity. Billy knew that, but he was still trying to hold onto his pride.

“Okay…” Steve said dumbly. He was frowning and looking around like he was trying to figure out what was going on. “Thanks?”

“Why do you hang out with a bunch of kids?” Billy interrogated.

“I was babysitting.”

“You were babysitting a bunch of middle schoolers?” Billy asked, unconvinced. Steve shrugged and nodded, the frown still prominent on his face.

“Hopper asked me to,” Steve lied. Steve had really just been roped into the situation, but Billy didn’t need to know that. “I know you think something weird went on, but it was just them hanging out.”

“I don’t really care anymore,” Billy drawled, staring at Steve with the same straight face. Steve frowned back at him for only a few seconds before Billy walked away. Steve didn’t really know how to feel about the whole situation. He still hated Hargrove if not just for the way he looked down at him, but his fellow classmate was no longer anything like the guy he met months ago.

Billy didn’t care about a lot of things anymore. Part of the reason for that was because he knew he was dying. The blood didn’t stop, and he knew he would never have enough money to go to the doctor for it. He hasn’t seen anyone else in Indiana this sick. The worst part about the whole thing was that he would die without even knowing what disease he had.

Max seemed to have the same problem, because she stared at him when they were having a family dinner. Billy ate slowly, not really having much of an appetite. Max picked at her food, her head in the clouds.

“I think Billy’s sick,” Max said after a long moment of silence. She stared Billy in the eye while she said it, not missing the way his grip tightened on his fork. Neil and Susan both stopped eating to look at Max and then at Billy.

“We have medicine in the cabinet,” Susan responded with a frown. “Is it a cough?”

“It’s a bad cough,” Max answered before Billy could even open his mouth. “There’s blood and everything.” Susan looked concerned at this.

“It could be pneumonia, Neil,” she said like she was already expecting his dismissal. “Or bronchitis—”

“He’s fine. He’s been driving Max to school and back every day, hasn’t he?” Max decided not to bring up the time Billy almost swerved off the road from his coughing fit. “Take some medicine.”

“Neil—”

“Susan,” Neil said harshly. They fell silent, with Susan submissively going back to eating her meal. Max huffed through her nose but didn’t say anything. Billy remained stoic. He helped Susan with the dishes before going to his room. He didn’t get to shut the door before Max was sticking her foot in.

“You forgot your medicine,” Max said. It was annoying how much she acted like she cared while simultaneously being pissed at him all the time. Billy didn’t know how to respond, and he was getting too exhausted to keep up with it.

“That shit’s not gonna help me,” Billy muttered, moving to close the door again. She smacked her palm against the door, not letting him close it. “Move it, short stack.”

“Take the medicine!”

“Who are you, my mom?” Billy snorted. “You go take the damn medicine. Leave me the fuck alone.” Max looked frustrated when he closed the door on her. He didn’t care. He forgot as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

Max looked beautiful for the Snowball. Billy hated to admit it since felt like he was supposed to hate her and all that jazz, but Billy has never seen anyone else with hair as beautiful or as red as Max’s. He wanted to punch Sinclair’s face in because he knew he’d break her heart eventually. All boys did. Max looked sheepish at all the attention her mother was giving her, blushing when Neil said she looked like a princess. She had originally planned out a simple outfit for herself, but that changed when her mom insisted she wore a dress.

Neil told Billy to drive her, which wasn’t surprising. He opened the car door for her so she could lift the bottom of the dress off the ground, which surprised her. She even mumbled a little thank you when he shut it. He did the same when they reached the middle school, ignoring the glances the pubescent kids were sending the brother-sister duo. It was only when they got there that Billy realized how much her beauty reminded him of his mother

“Tell Sinclair that if he pulls anything, I’ll shank him,” Billy said in as threatening a tone he could muster. To his surprise, Max smiled.

“I will,” she said back softly before walking into the building. Maybe she slipped some cough medicine into his food when he wasn’t looking. Billy looked around the parking lot before getting back in his car. He saw Steve Harrington talking to one of Max’s friends in his car. The kid had his hair done up like some movie star, and Billy couldn’t help but snicker to himself. Steve watched the kid enter the building before starting his car back up. He looked up and made eye contact with Billy. Billy didn’t let it last long before he got into his car and drove off.

* * *

His good graces with Max hadn’t lasted that long. They had come to some sort of understanding, which included Max not completely hating Billy since she found out he apologized to Steve. He had yet to even contact Lucas Sinclair. Billy thought it was probably because of how sick he looked. He had gotten better. His coughs had diminished. When he did cough, he didn’t find blood in his palm. He regained some color in his cheeks.

The problem came when Billy actually confronted Lucas. Despite the worst Max thought of him, Billy wasn’t stupid. Billy had seen how Lucas antagonized her almost every moment he was around her from the second they moved to Hawkins. All of a sudden they were dating. That didn’t sit right with him. It reminded him too much of Neil and Susan. Hell, it reminded him too much of Neil and his mother. Susan was too scared to leave Neil’s grasps, but Billy’s mom had been so desperate that she left him in the midst of her escape. Max seemed annoyed whenever Billy brought up Lucas, so that might have been enough evidence that she was happy with him. Still, Billy was pretty sure this was Max’s first boyfriend, and he wasn’t going to sit back and let her be manipulated by some twerp who likes redheads.

Lucas arrived to the arcade about five minutes after Billy dropped Max off. He put out his cigarette and got out of the car when he saw the boy bend over to talk to his mom. Billy walked over with more intent when the car drove away.

“Sinclair!” Billy yelled, immediately gaining the boy’s attention. Lucas looked like he immediately regretted turning around. His shoulders sagged, so he wasn’t going to try to run anytime soon. “We need to talk.”

“Listen, man. I don’t want any trouble,” Lucas said, holding his hands up.

“I will break your jaw if you hurt Max,” Billy said bluntly. Lucas flinched back, but it was clear he was waiting for something else. He was surprised when Billy’s only attack was with his words. “Don’t looked relieved, asshole. I can’t break your jaw if I’m in jail for killing you in the parking lot.”

“What did I do?” Lucas asked in an innocently confused voice.

“Don’t think I didn’t see you bothering Max every day when we moved to Hawkins,” Billy said, poking his finger at Lucas’ chest. “You may fool her, but you can’t trick me. You will not fucking hurt her.”

“Dude!” Lucas shouted out, flinging himself back from Billy’s touch. “Why would I hurt Max?”

“I’m not sorry for threatening you,” Billy said, lighting another cigarette as his hands began to shake. “But Max claims that you didn’t do anything wrong. So, for the small percentage of a chance that you didn’t fuck with her: I’m sorry,” Billy apologized robotically. Lucas frowned, not knowing how to respond. “Get in the damn arcade. Don’t keep her waiting.”

Of course, the kid told Max everything. Her nostrils were flaring when she slammed the car door.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“What?”

“What did you say to Lucas?” Max yelled.

“I apologized,” Billy said casually. He went to light a cigarette, but her hand darted out and bent the thing in half. “Hey!”

“You threatened him! What did I say about staying away from my friends?”

“You told me to apologize to your friends. How am I supposed to do that if I can’t go near them?”

“You said you would murder him,” Max growled.

“I didn’t say it like that,” Billy waved off, rolling out of the parking lot.

“You waited until he was alone so you could threaten his life, and you didn’t apologize to any of my other friends.”

“You’re overreacting—”

“No, you’re an asshole!” Max shouted back. “Why is it so hard for you to be a decent human being? I don’t even know why I bother since you’ll be eighteen soon and finally get out of our house!” That last part hurt. It hurt a lot more than Max was probably intending it to. Billy didn’t respond, and Max probably assumed it was because he was moody.

Billy knew his father wasn’t keen on him. That wasn’t a secret to anybody, and he had gotten over it. He spent the last couple of years mostly trying to stay off his bad side rather than make him proud. Susan tolerated him, especially since he watched Max most of the time growing up. If given the chance, Billy doubted that she would kick him out of the house. To hear Max say it was another thing.

Billy’s relationship with Max had always been bumpy, even their good times. It was easier when they were younger, and Neil was still putting on the façade that he cared. Max obviously become more important to both parents as they grew up, which was probably why Billy resented her. No matter what Billy did, it was a crime compared to what Max was doing. Still, after all of Billy’s sins, Max would bring him a glass of water if he asked nicely enough. He never thought it would break his heart to hear her claim so honestly how she didn’t want him around anymore.

That was fair. Billy couldn’t be mad at anyone but himself for how he got here. That made things worse. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t be a different person, and people weren’t ever going to like him. His own father didn’t like him. His own mother left him.

He always thought he’d stay a little longer when he graduated high school, find a more permanent job until he saved up enough money to move out of Indiana. It only hit him when Max yelled at him that his father had no reason to keep him around. He didn’t have enough money saved to last him long. He didn’t know what he was going to do.

He didn’t notice the way Max slammed both doors this time. Susan asked him what was wrong with Max when he came inside the house, and he just muttered “boyfriend troubles.” He didn’t know if Susan knew about Lucas, but it wasn’t really his problem anymore.

He went to sleep feeling empty. He woke up in the middle of the night, a burning sensation in his throat. He coughed until he threw up, blinking multiple times to make sure the blood was real.

* * *

His health deteriorated after that at a pace he had never seen before. He spent the rest of winter break in bed. Max was too upset to ask him for a ride, which he was grateful for. He didn’t think he could get out of bed no matter how loudly his father yelled at him. He kept a bucket in his room since the trips to the bathroom got tiresome.

There were times where he felt like he couldn’t breathe, and that this was it. He was going to die alone in his teenage bedroom because he spent his last 18 years fucking up his life to the point where no one cared about him. It made him tear up at first, but then he accepted it. A few moments later, cool air would rush into his lungs. It was his punishment.

He missed the first day back at school, not waking up until it was well past the middle of the day. He didn’t know where Max or their parents were. For a second, he was afraid of the consequences of sleeping in again, but it only took a few seconds for him to realize he didn’t really care. He could be dead by the time they made it home. With that thought in mind, Billy fell back under.

He woke again in the middle of the night, and he wondered if anyone tried to wake him up. Maybe he was too out of it, and they realized he was a lost cause. Maybe they thought he was dead and decided to just deal with him in the morning. He groaned as he sat up, feeling each muscle fiber and every internal organ screech at him. He went to the kitchen for a drink of water. He almost dropped it when his hands shook from his low blood sugar. He should solve that, but he had no appetite. He did drop it when he turned to see Max a few feet away from him.

Her eyes had initially held that deadly glare she loved to use on him, but her expression turned to one of pure horror when she got a look at his face. Her gaze dropped down to the broken glass on the floor but snapped back up to Billy.

His eyes were bloodshot, which wasn’t anything new. They were accented by the dark circles and heavy bags that decorated his eyes. He hadn’t taken a shower in a couple days, so his hair and face were greasy. There was also the fact that Billy hunched over and moved slowly, scared that sudden movements would throw him into another coughing fit.

“Billy,” Max whispered. Billy didn’t respond. He stared at the floor, too afraid to bend down. Max followed his gaze and immediately ran to get the broom. She was back to pick up the pieces, pushing him aside when he looked like he was about to bend down to help. “You’re too sick, Billy. Oh, my god, you need help.”

“Why do you care?” Billy mumbled, half out of it. He stood there until Max finished cleaning up. She filled another glass with water and helped him drink it so it wouldn’t fall again. “You don’t even want me here.” Max’s eyes darted up to his face, but she didn’t say anything.

“Billy, I—” Billy stumbled towards his room, cutting off her sentence.

* * *

His father burst into his room one morning. Billy barely stirred from his sleep, eventually blinking his eyes open when his father’s footsteps stomped over to the bed. Billy didn’t have the energy to say or do anything when his father grabbed him, trying to make him stand. Billy dropped to the floor like a ragdoll, only angering his father more.

“Get the fuck out of my house,” Neil growled down at him. Billy groaned, trying to get a better sense of his surroundings. “I’m tired of this shit. I’m tired of getting calls from the school because you can’t be bothered to show up. You’ve thrown away your life, and you’re not wasting the rest of it away on my dollar when you can’t even show me some goddamn respect.” Billy finally found a bit of energy to sit himself up, squinting his eyes at his father. He turned to see Max and Susan in the doorway, both looking at the scene with wide eyes. “Get the fuck out.”

Neil slammed the door, but Billy knew there was a timer on his situation before he would come back and kick Billy out in nothing but his boxers. His body, particularly his chest, ached and protested as Billy grabbed his backpack to start shoving clothes into. He pulled on multiple shirts and a jacket plus a hat in case his father came back before he was ready. He could only afford to have the pair of boots he had on his feet. He was scared to go to the bathroom to get his toothbrush since his father would assume he was done.

He never got the chance to anyway. Neil came back still seething, dragging Billy by the hood of his coat towards the front door. Both Susan and Max protested as they followed the pair of them to the front door. Susan complained how bad of an idea it was, especially since Billy hadn’t graduated yet. Max just pleaded to let him stay. Billy only then figured out it was turning into night instead of turning into day when he saw the sun setting outside. His father pushed him out into the snow. Indiana winters seemed to drag on forever.

Billy could still hear them yelling inside the house when he got up to brush the snow off of himself. He headed towards his car. His father hadn’t tossed him any keys, but Billy had a spare. His father opened the front door when he heard the roar of the engine. Max stood by his side, looking relieved to see Billy in the car instead of walking down the street in the cold. His father was expectedly pissed as Billy drove off.

Billy didn’t know where to go. He had very limited funds. He felt tears springing to his eyes, but he wasn’t sure why he was crying. He hated it there anyway.

He went to the only familiar place he had been to in the past few months. He parked his car before climbing into the back seat. He used his bag as a pillow as he fell asleep in the parking lot of the arcade.

* * *

Billy didn’t try to drive a lot since he needed to save his money for things other than gas, but he had to hop from parking lot to parking lot every couple of days. Along with helping him avoid getting towed, it helped him avoid anybody searching for him. He saw Max and her boyfriend a few times around town. He thought it would be easier if she didn’t see him. Maybe, after a while, she would think he left Hawkins.

After a while, his tank started getting low. The weather was getting warmer, but Billy’s energy was dropping. His snack supply was limited, and he spent most of his time sleeping, a very familiar feeling. The days passed by faster than he could count. One day, Billy woke up scared he had already died. That was a weird feeling, because he couldn’t tell how long he had been asleep. It was still night, and he couldn’t tell if an entire day or two had passed.

He started accepting the inevitability of his death after a while. He started accepting the fact that it would be alone not long after that. Max felt guilty, but she wouldn’t miss him when she found out he died and couldn’t hurt anyone anymore. He wondered if his mom would find out, wherever she was. Maybe she was dead, and he’d finally see her.

His breathing was shallow, and he stopped feeling the cold after a while. His car had become covered in snow after a short storm, and he couldn’t get up to wipe it off. He couldn’t get up to turn on the heat for his last few moments since his car wouldn’t start. He felt a warm tear leak from his eye, turning cold when it reached his cheek. He fell asleep.

* * *

He realized it was day when the snow was moved off his windshield. He felt the sun hit his eyelids. His eyes twitched behind his eyelids, but he felt them crusted shut. Each window started to become free of snow, and Billy felt more of the sunlight on his face. He felt his car move as someone struggled to open the door. He heard ice crack as someone forced the door beside his head open. Still, Billy did not move. He heard voices, but he couldn’t understand what they were saying. Eventually, he realized it was taking too much energy to try to figure it out, so he went back to sleep.

* * *

Billy woke up in the hospital. He was surprised when he finally had enough energy to open his eyes. The room’s lights were set low, but it was still a blinding white. He heard people talking. He looked over to see an alarmingly serious girl with curly hair and a mask covering her nose and mouth staring at him curiously. He frowned at her, and she frowned back. Billy turned his head the other way to see the chief of police. The nurse he was talking to glanced over at him momentarily, and her eyes widened when she saw his eyes open. They had on similar masks.

“Mr. Hargrove? How are you feeling? Would you like some ice chips? Please nod instead of speaking,” the nurse said monotonously as she came over to check on him. Billy frowned at her before nodding. He didn’t say anything, not only because it hurt, but because he didn’t have anything to say.

“Your sister is waiting for you,” Hopper said after the nurse was done attending to him. “Would you like to see her?” Billy wanted to ask what the hell he was doing here. Who was the little girl staring at him? Hopper went to get Max when Billy didn’t respond. Max’s eyes were as red as her hair, and she fumbling with her thumbs as she walked in.

“Billy?” Max said quietly, not used to seeing him so stoic and weak.

“Best keep back, Max,” Hopper informed her. “Would you like to hear why you’re here, bud?” Billy frowned at the nickname. “Well, when my daughter found you, you had developed a pretty extreme case of frostbite. You’re lucky you still have all your fingers and toes.” Max looked horrified to hear this, looking at Billy’s hands when as Hopper explained. “You might want to sit down, Max.”

“What? Why?” Max asked, sitting next to Billy’s bed regardless. Hopper’s expression got a bit more serious.

“You had a pretty severe case of pneumonia. You still have it, actually. It’s probably not contagious, but no reason to take risks.”

“I told you, you were really sick!” Max said a bit too loudly in Billy’s direction. Billy flinched at the sound, making Max look at him guiltily. “Is he going to be okay now?” Hopper looked grim.

“The pneumonia was actually caused by his lung cancer. It made him more susceptible, which is why it was so bad,” Hopper explained slowly. Billy didn’t say or do anything.

“Lung cancer?” The curly-haired girl asked. Max’s watery eyes snapped over to her. Hopper sighed.

“It’s a serious disease,” Hopper explained pathetically. “Uh, pretty deadly.”

“Dead?” The girl repeated, looking at Billy curiously. Hopper flinched at the word, especially when it caused Max to heave a sob. The girl at least looked like she regretted it. Billy may have been the one with cancer, but he was more interested in learning what was going on with Thing 1.

“Kid,” Hopper called, getting Billy’s attention. “Are you okay?” Billy didn’t respond. What the hell was he supposed to say? He had already accepted his death without knowing what was killing him. “Your father didn’t respond when we called. He wouldn’t answer the door when I visited…” Hopper trailed off like he was afraid of hurting Billy’s feelings. Hopper kept glancing between him and Max, who was now crying while looking at her hands. “You’re almost eighteen, and, considering your sickness, I don’t know if you exactly want to deal with the whole custody issue.” For the first time since he woke up, Billy responded by shaking his head. “Yeah, didn’t think so. It’s a bit unethical what I’m offering as a cop, but we can keep this whole thing between us.”

“Why?” Billy croaked out, scaring everyone in the room. His throat burned, and he was starting to feel an ache in his chest despite the morphine they were pumping into him. “Why would you help me?” Hopper sighed.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it, kid. You really don’t deserve it.”

“Hey!” Max shouted, looking at Hopper angrily through her tears. Hopper held a hand up.

“You don’t deserve my help, but no one deserves to die like this. Plus, I think Max would never recover if we left you like this,” Hopper explained. “So, if you want it, you can stay on our couch while we look for treatment.” Billy coughed out a laugh, stopping before the cough escalated.

“I can’t afford treatment?” Hopper sighed, still looking grim.

“Kid, I’d obviously help pay for it. I’m not going to let you waste away on my couch without helping.”

“What stage am I?” Billy asked emotionlessly.

“Kid—”

“What stage?” Max and the girl looked at Hopper with similar looks of interest. Hopper pursed his lips before sighing again.

“Stage three.” Billy rolled his eyes, settling into his pillow a bit more. Max’s mouth closed and opened.

“That’s bad, isn’t it? How bad is that?” Max asked, looking between the two of them.

“It’s not as bad as stage four—”

“But it doesn’t mean I’m going to live long enough to see you even start high school,” Billy deadpanned. Max’s mouth dropped at this, more tears springing to her eyes. Hopper gave Billy a frustrated expression.

“Can you not act like you’re a hopeless case, please. If not for yourself, for Max.”

“For Max?” Billy scoffed. “She doesn’t even like me. She just feels guilty. None of you care about me. Don’t waste your money. I was already close to dying before you found me. You would’ve saved yourself time and money if you left me.” Max cried at this, her hair surrounding her face as she hunched over. Hopper himself looked pained by what Billy was saying but didn’t respond.

“Why do you want to die?” The curly-haired girl asked, frowning as she walked closer. Billy just stared at her. “Does it hurt?”

“Of course it hurts. I cough up blood,” Billy responded blankly.

“Do you like ice cream?” She asked. Billy didn’t know how to respond to that.

“El…” Hopper called out softly. El didn’t respond.

“What?” Billy said.

“Hop won’t take me to get ice cream. Someone might see me.”

“A lot of people could see you at a hospital,” Billy pointed out, glancing at Hopper.

“It was an…Ee-mer-gen-cee,” El said, emphasizing each syllable like she was unfamiliar with the word.

“Alright,” Billy humored her. “Yes, I like ice cream.”

“So do I, but I haven’t had any in a long time.”

“So?”

“I still want some.”

“Are you telling me to live for ice cream, kid?” Billy asked, rolling his eyes. “You’re worse than Max.”

“I want to leave the house, but Hop won’t let me. He tells me soon, but it’s never soon. I still hope to leave anyway.” Billy didn’t know what to say to that, especially since it sounded a lot like Hopper was harboring a child.

“I have nothing to look forward to, kid,” Billy muttered.

“You could take me to get ice cream,” the girl said dully, tired of trying to prove a point. Billy threw his head back on his pillow.

“You don’t have to go back to Neil, Billy,” Max muttered. “You can stay with Hopper. You can leave Hawkins when you’re better.”

“When I’m better,” Billy repeated quietly to himself. He felt there was little chance of that, but he was tired of seeing Max cry. “Fine. For Christ’s sake, Hopper, give your daughter some ice cream. You can buy Ben & Jerry’s at the supermarket.”

* * *

Hopper set Billy up on his couch. It was a quaint place, so Billy was surprised that El had her own room. It was a bit funny to see she had a door while Hopper took a curtain. Billy realized he was probably cramping their style and privacy being in the living room all the time, but he figured he’d be asleep most of the time. It may be a little bit less since Hopper forced him to eat three meals a day.

Max came to visit often, which he expected. She was friends with El now, so they hung around even if she wasn’t talking to Billy. What surprised him was the first time the Wheeler boy came around. Billy had been minding his business, only turning around when he felt someone’s eyes on him. He wondered how long Mike had been standing there, glaring at the back of Billy’s head.

“Mike,” El called out disapprovingly. Mike looked over at El.

“What? He attacked Lucas _and_ Steve,” Mike reminded her, gesturing to Billy.

“No,” El concluded the argument before it started. Mike scoffed, still glaring at Billy. El took his hand to drag him to her room.

“Keep the door open!” Hopper shouted from the kitchen. He had been in the midst of cooking something for dinner, which didn’t seem like it was going too well. Billy couldn’t really complain. Hopper eventually brought him a bowl of Kraft Mac & Cheese. It wasn’t bad. It was pretty hard to mess up. Hopper sat next to Billy on the couch since Billy had sat up like he did every blue moon.

“Are you plotting to kill your daughter’s boyfriend?” Billy asked. Hopper side-eyed him.

“Are you judging me after what you did to Sinclair?”

“Sinclair was being an asshole. I saw it myself,” Billy responded.

“Yeah, well, Wheeler is being an asshole to me,” Hopper muttered bitterly.

“I could scare him away by threatening to cough on him,” Billy offered. “You’d just have to get him close to the couch.”

“Thanks, but I don’t think El would forgive me,” Hopper said sadly, like he wished he could take him up on that offer.

* * *

Billy found out El had superpowers the same day the rest of her friends came to visit her. It was starting to get a lot warmer outside, but it was also raining a lot. Billy stayed snuggled up on the couch more often since Hopper had fans blowing around the house. The kids and Max came in soaking wet and followed by Steve Harrington.

Billy had been half asleep watching TV when they came storming in. They were loud, but Billy had taken the medication that made him too drowsy to care. Max probably came to visit El with her friends, but she couldn’t help but check on him when he didn’t respond to them coming in.

“Holy shit, is that your brother?” Steve asked, catching a glimpse of Billy’s hair nestled into the cushion.

“What?” Lucas and Dustin shrieked. Max told them to shush, but they loudly voiced their concerns. Max’s heartbeat grew faster when Billy wasn’t responding to her calls.

“What’s wrong with him?” Mike asked. Every time he visited, Billy usually sat solemnly on the couch with Hopper. Hopper told him it was because his dad kicked him out, which made sense to Mike. He had never seen him look this bad. “He looks like you stabbed him with a syringe again.”

“I don’t know,” Max breathed out.

“Who cares!” Dustin yelled. “That dude’s a psycho! Why is he here?”

“He got kicked out,” Mike answered smugly. The boys turned towards him.

“You knew?” They said.

“Of course I knew. I came here to visit El.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Lucas asked. He turned towards Max. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Hopper told me not to, then El told me not to,” Mike answered with a shrug.

“It’s complicated,” Max answered quietly.

“Is it? Because he’s threatened me twice and almost killed Steve,” Lucas reasoned, gesturing to Steve.

“He did not almost kill me! I was winning for most of the fight,” Steve denied angrily. The loud talking eventually got through to a drowsy Billy, making him open his eyes lazily.

“Max?” He muttered out.

“Get away from him!” Dustin shrieked, reaching out to grab Max and pull her away.

“Hey!” Max yelled, pulling her arm away. Lucas reacted as well, pulling her further away and Billy stirred a bit more. “Let go of me!” Their grips were suddenly pulled off when they both went flying back into chair at the table. They were astonished, sharing a scared glance before turning to see El coming out of her room. Her nose was bloody, and she was glaring at the two of them. Billy thought he must have been dreaming.

“Stop,” she said. She marched over and grabbed a small container, holding it out for Max to see. “He took this. It made him sleepy.” Max’s stiff posture loosened when she realized it was his meds that were making him this way.

“He’s taking drugs?” Mike said.

“He’s taking medicine,” Max corrected.

“Is he sick?” Will finally spoke up after watching the violent interaction go down. “He looks terrible.”

“It’s complicated,” Max answered.

“Is it bad?” Steve asked, a bit put off by the pale look on Billy’s face. “Is it because his parents kicked him out?”

“Why would his parents kicking him out make him sick, dumbass?” Dustin argued needlessly.

“I don’t know! It’s cold outside!” Steve argued. The rest of the crew ignored their bickering, studying Max’s grim expression.

“Is he dying?” Will asked in a whisper. Max looked up at him.

“No,” El answered, making everyone look at her. “He’s living.”

“Then why does he look like the grim reaper?” Lucas asked.

“The kid’s got cancer,” Hopper answered. He walked in on Lucas’ question, probably having heard some of the conversation from outside. “He’s staying with me while he gets better.”

“Cancer?” A lot of them repeated.

“Don’t you usually die from that?” Will asked.

“Some people. Billy will be fine,” Hopper explained. Max didn’t bother to tell them how it was stage three and how she looked it up. Stage three patients barely survived anymore than stage four, and they had yet to get him started on chemo.

“Really? Because he looks like—” Steve nudged Dustin hard in the stomach, making Dustin glare back at him.

“You guys can stay,” Hopper said, taking off his hat. “But don’t bother him.”

* * *

When it got warm enough, Billy took El out for ice cream. She wore a hat and sunglasses no matter how hard Billy tried convincing Hopper that no one would recognize her. Hopper dropped them off and gave Billy a few bucks, told him to take it easy. Max met them there, smiling at both of them with her vanilla cone. Billy rolled his eyes and told El to get something more interesting. She ended up with chocolate chip cookie dough.

El and Max acted like typical teenage girls, and it was almost as if Billy wasn’t there. It was nice to see her like this, especially since none of the boys were around. Billy was relishing in the way the sun felt on his face, and the way the strawberry shake felt rolling down his throat. He felt a bit lightheaded, but he figured that was because of him exerting more energy than usual to walk around.

They ran into Steve Harrington, who was running around town looking for a job. He looked impressed to see El out of the house and in the sun. He looked even more impressed to see Billy standing.

“Well, look who it is,” Steve said, walking up to the three of them. “Who let you three out by yourselves?”

“Very funny,” Billy responded, taking another sip.

“And for ice cream? How kid-friendly.”

“They’re not going to like you if you call them kids,” Billy said, laughing at the way El and Max were glaring at Steve.

“You look better,” Steve commented, taking in the red on Billy’s cheeks, probably from the sun. “A little less like death.”

“You don’t,” Billy snarked. “Where’s your sidekick?”

“Dustin? Getting ready to go to camp,” Steve answered immediately, taking no shame in the fact that he immediately knew who Billy was referring to.

“Camp?” El asked.

“It’s where nerds go to be around other nerds,” Max explained, making El giggle.

“That’s about right,” Steve responded with a nod. Steve walked around with them for a bit longer, claiming to be taking a break from job-hunting. Max and El walked a bit further ahead of them, probably talking about the rest of the boys in their friend group. “Are you okay, man?” Billy still wasn’t used to everyone asking him that, especially if they weren’t Hopper.

“Fine,” Billy responded dully.

“Because I know cancer is serious and all—”

“I don’t want to talk about this,” Billy said. It took all his willpower to not snark at Steve to get him to go away. Steve just nodded.

“Right, okay. It’s just, I forgive you.” Billy raised an eyebrow at him. “You apologized to me a long time ago and I never said anything back.”

“You said, ‘thanks,’” Billy reminded him.

“Oh, yeah, right…” Steve trailed off.

“I don’t want your pity, so cut it out.” Steve frowned at him.

“Pity?”

“You’re apologizing to me because I’m dying. That’s shitty, and I don’t want to hear it.”

“I’m not apologizing because you’re—wait, are you dying?” Steve interrupted himself. Billy looked over at him blankly. “Hopper said you were getting better.”

“Hopper lied. El lied. Max is lying to herself. If I’m lucky, I’ll live till the Fourth of July,” Billy said. Steve went quiet, so Billy looked over to see the guy’s puppy dog eyes looking at the ground sadly, like he was thinking.

“What kind of cancer is it?” Steve eventually asked.

“Lung.” Steve flinched.

“Does it hurt to breathe?”

“Sometimes?”

“Do you still smoke?”

“Hopper won’t let me.”

“What about—”

“Jesus, Harrington. Cut it out with all the questions,” Billy interrupted. Max looked back at them for a second before returning to her conversation with El. “I’m outside and walking right now, so why don’t you just think about that instead of wondering when I might die.” Steve didn’t say anything, and Billy hoped he got his point across. They walked for quite a while, surprising Billy himself. He couldn’t remember the last time he walked this much. He was even sweating by the end of it.

He really needed a drink of water, so Steve told him to wait while he and Max went into the store for a couple of bottles. Billy sat beside El, trying to keep his eyes open. Hopefully they could just call Hopper to pick them up where he was so he wouldn’t have to walk any further. He was desperate for that when he started to cough. El looked at him after the first few bursts, a little concern on her face. Her eyes widened when Billy’s cough got louder and wetter. Soon, his eyes were watering, and he was hunched over his legs.

“Billy? Billy!” He didn’t know who was calling his name. He felt a water bottle being pressed to his lips. They all seemed to help him try to swallow it down. He got a few gulps in before he spit out the water all over who was in front of him when he coughed again. This time, he couldn’t control it. His body seemed to convulse and shake with each coughed that wracked it. It stopped when he fell unconscious.

* * *

Billy found himself hooked up to a machine again. It was a very similar situation to the last with Hopper, Max, and El standing around him. They all looked grim as he blinked his eyes to focus on them.

The cancer had gotten worse since they didn’t act fast enough. They meds could only help so much since Billy hesitated too long to start any sort of radiation or chemo. At least the doctor had the decency to look sad to deliver the news. This time, El had tears in her eyes alongside Max. Hopper looked defeated, unable to come up with anything to say to any of them.

The kids visited him next time since El and Max refused to leave Billy. They looked a lot grimmer since the last time he had encountered them. He wasn’t sure if any of them had ever seen someone like this, especially someone as young as him. Mike and Lucas mostly comforted their girlfriends, throwing sad glances at Billy’s weakened state every once in a while. Dustin, for once in his life, had nothing smart to say, nothing to say at all. Will, the kid that Billy knew least of all, looked positively terrified.

Billy felt the same as all those months ago when he was too tired to go to school or get out of bed. He slept a lot, not knowing how much time had passed since the last time he was awake. People seemed to constantly flitter in and out of his room. He wondered how long he had been in the hospital.

At one point, Billy thought he heard someone ask if he wanted to be moved home. That was the confirmation to him that there was nothing they could do. He hadn’t expected to die this soon after diagnosis, but it seemed like everyone was already in the early process of grieving. Grieving was a weird thing. Last time he had the realization he was dying, he was ready for someone to find his body in his car weeks after the fact, maybe a little upset that he had died so young. To have kids he barely knew and Hawkins’ own chief of police in tears every time he woke up was a feeling he couldn’t describe.

They asked again, and Billy told them that he didn’t have a home. He heard sniffles and what he thought was Hopper’s voice. The next time he woke up, he was being taken out of the hospital. They lifted him like he weighed nothing, and Max laid her head against his chest. Billy could feel her trembling while trying to hold in her sobs.

Billy had never expected to feel so home on a couch, but he felt more relaxed than every when Hopper situated him, covering him in blankets despite the heat. He thought that there were a lot of people in Hopper’s house, because it always seemed like someone was talking.

They fed him ice a few times. He saw that it was Steve at one point and wanted to make a joke about him becoming a nurse. He thought he must have smiled at his own joke since Steve looked at him with an astonished expression.

Max sat by him a lot. Billy didn’t know what to feel about that. Not too long ago, he thought she would have been thrilled to have him out of the house. Now she barely went home, opting to sit next to him in Hopper’s cabin. She was almost always there when Billy weakly opened his eyes. He smiled at her brightly one time, making everyone in the room gasp. He couldn’t help himself, because Max looked just like his mother.

* * *

Billy died in the morning, the second day of summer. The kids had nowhere to be, and Dustin had already left. Lucas just wanted to hang out with Max, but Max was always with Billy. Mike was over by default, seeing as El lived there. Will found himself accustomed to being around Billy as well, wondering if they would have gotten along if he wasn’t sick when he met him.

Max had dropped the cup of ice when she saw Billy’s eyes partially opened and unmoving. All the boys had jumped up to see what scared her, all stunned silent when they saw Billy on the couch. Hopper came running out his room when he heard Max scream. He slowed down when he saw Billy on his couch, not being able to stop the tears that started to leak from his eyes.

Joyce had to help Hopper with the arrangements. Hopper had started to when Billy became less and less responsive, but he hadn’t expected the grief to hit him as hard as it did. When Joyce found out about Billy’s death so did Jonathan. Jonathan hadn’t heard about Billy since he dropped out of school the last semester of senior year. When Jonathan found out so did Nancy. Nancy had a deep hatred in her heart despite the fact that Steve told her time and time again that it was okay. She felt her heart clench up when she heard the news, not sure what to do with herself when she realized she spent that last few months hating a dying kid. When Nancy found out so did Steve.

Steve was alone at home when Nancy called him with the news. She was crying, and Steve hadn’t even begun to suspect it was because of Billy. However, hearing his name come out of her lips filled him with an emotion Steve had never felt before. Nancy started explaining how Billy apparently had cancer, and Steve hung up. He sat alone in his house, shaking from anxiety and sobs.

Hawkins wasn’t a big town, and it didn’t take long for everyone to find out about Billy Hargrove’s death. No one had heard from any of the Hargroves, so they assumed it must be true if they were hiding away to grieve. They high schoolers mourned a bit, a lot of them having at least talked to the newest new kid when he started going to their school. They had all assumed Billy had gone off the rails and started taking drugs when he dropped out. Hearing him pass away from something as serious as cancer struck a chord in everyone.

Neil Hargrove found out about his own son dying when Susan started sobbing over the phone. Neil just frowned, slowly walking towards her to ask what was wrong.

“It’s Max,” she sobbed. Neil felt a cold chill run over him, wondering what could have happened to his stepdaughter.

“What? What happened to her? Is she okay?” Neil interrogated, ready to take the phone from Susan’s hands. Susan heaved a sharp sob. Neil and Susan hadn’t heard from Max in a while. Neil assumed this was her rebelling stage when she kept disappearing to go over her friend’s house. Susan said it was probably because of him kicking Billy out, but Neil ignored that.

“She’s with Billy. Billy is dead,” Susan cried out. Neil froze.

“What?” He heard a ringing in his ears.

“Billy! He died two days ago. Two days! She’s been with the Hopper for two days since Billy’s died.” Neil took the phone from Susan’s hand, asking what was going on. The person on the other end of the line confirmed what they told Susan, explaining how Max was in their custody at the moment.

Neil Hargrove hadn’t felt anything like this since Billy’s mother had left them. It was a strange mix of anger, guilt, and heartbreak that he promised himself he’d never feel again. That was why he married Susan. That was why he kicked Billy out. No one was allowed to make him feel that powerless, yet the stranger on the line did it with just a few words. His only son was dead.

* * *

Joyce did a beautiful job with the funeral service, though it killed her since she felt it hadn’t been that long since Bob’s. She had never seen Hopper this way before, and it scared her considering she knew Hopper hadn’t known the kid for that long. She was also surprised to see how grim Will and his friends were. Will looked as shaken as when Joyce had to get the mind flayer out of him. Their new friend, Max, hadn’t stopped crying since showing up, breaking Joyce’s heart into pieces. Even El, the one who had a hard time opening up to others, had to be comforted by Hopper throughout the service.

It had been a pretty open funeral, with many coming by to give their condolences even though Joyce and Hopper weren’t his parents. Joyce didn’t know where Billy’s parents were. The kid may not have had the best reputation before, but he didn’t deserve this.

Steve Harrington hung around for a long time, making Joyce wonder if the two had been secret friends. She gave him a soft smile and a shoulder rub, trying to get rid of the awfully sad expression on his face. Though his parents weren’t here, Joyce was glad Billy had others who cared for him.

* * *

Billy didn’t really care. The pain was gone. The memories were gone. He thought he felt so good, maybe he wasn’t dead yet. He saw a woman and was ready to confirm he was still alive. He was about to call out to Max, telling her to stop playing around, but the words got caught in his mouth. She smiled at him. This time it wasn’t Max. He recognized his mother.

**Author's Note:**

> I about cried writing this, so tell me what you thought. How did it compare to your feelings for season 3?


End file.
